During my cleaning frenzy today I watched/listened to 1 1/2 episodes of "God or the Girl" that I had taped last night. I figured I'd give it a chance after all the attention it was given in the National Catholic Register (print edition) last weekend.
I liked what one seminarian had to say about the show. These guys don't have it all together. They don't have it all figured out. There's lots of uncertainty here, seeing the many good options in front of them (priesthood, marriage & family, a productive professional career) and not knowing which way to go. And yes--that's the point of the show--not to depict guys who have made the decision, are set with it, and ready to proceed, but to show some of what goes on when one is discerning more than a career path, but a vocation, a way of life, a sacrament.
That said, I think the title of the show was chosen just to attract attention (good and bad) to the program. Will it draw viewers, and keep them? Who knows. I don't think of the priesthood necessarily as a choice between Priesthood and Marriage. I don't think of marriage that way either. A "no" to Priesthood does not mean an automatic "yes" to Marriage any more than a "no" to Marriage means a "yes" to Priesthood. They are two different and unique decisions and so far this program hasn't made the distinction.
I liked that the young men were not portrayed as silly, stupid or religious fanatics for even thinking of becoming priests. They were real people, and not all of them would grow up to be "Father Whatawaste" either, though they did tend in that direction and I'm sure that's not accidental. I'd like to see and hear more about prayer, since certainly that would be happening during this decision process.
I'm not much of a TV watcher, so I think I'm pretty much done with this show. Something has to be *really* interesting, informative and compelling for me to bother watching it. I'd rather read a book, or a blog, or hang out on my favorite online forum.
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