Corbin Bernsen has certainly had a far more auspicious career than Kirk Cameron. But, like Kirk, he found Jesus and, like Kirk, is now producing religious films which, like Kirk's films, are promoted on America's faith based morning show, "Fox & Friends." This morning, on Fox & Friends, Bernsen discussed his new film, "Beyond the Heavens," which, according to "Movie Guide," is about how a religiously skeptical young boy and his religiously skeptical teacher eventually come to God. However, unlike Kirk's oeuvre, this film isn't as didactic. During the interview, Bernsen, in focusing on how the movie is about "exploration of faith," downplayed the evangelical aspect of the movie. But that didn't stop the cretinous, curvy couch conservative Christians from using the film to channel the inerrant word of the religious right.
The interview was part of the Fox & Friends "To Heaven and Back" series which has featured celestial travelers who die, meet Jesus, and return to earth. Elisabeth Hasslebeck described the film as being about a boy "caught between the teachings of science and the message of Christianity." A clip from the movie was shown in which the boy asks about the role of God in what is taught in the schools. While the movie description indicates that the boy is skeptical, the clip seems to present the boy as a devout Christian who is concerned about what the school is teaching. Hasselbeck "loved" the clip because it is "so real and so relatable."
In talking about how his mother told him to look at things "from all sides," Bernsen mentioned that "people" asked him why he was going to appear on the very conservative Fox & Friends. He said that in dealing with religious issues, one of the main topic is "balancing science and faith, what role did God play." Brain Brian Kilmeade shouted "creationism." (Huh?) When Bernsen, who believes that science and faith work together, described the film as being about "exploration," Steve Doocy offered this gem: "I love the fact that the kid you know he's looking to the, that's his teacher, right, for some answers and the kid seems to have more answers than the teacher does." Bernsen started saying something but Doocy kept talking and brought home the propaganda bacon: "You know how schools work, they're trying, in many cases to, they're trying to scrub God completely out of them."
Bernsen didn't follow up on the right wing talking point but described the teacher as an atheist who has a little piece of doubt. He noted that he doesn't take an religious stance but "puts it out there."! He then cut into what seemed to be the Fox & Friends narrative by informing the pals that the boy is also questioning the existence of God. Bernsen went on to state that he doesn't hold that anyone person has the truth but "he puts it out there to explore." There was moment of rich irony when he said that it's important to "look at all sides of things."
Propaganda fail?