MovieChat Forums > Fifteen and Pregnant (1998) Discussion > Religious zealotry: Creating teen moms?

Religious zealotry: Creating teen moms?

posted 15 years ago by hunnybee5482
5 replies | jump to latest

There was a line in this movie that I thought was fascinating. Park Overall's character remarks about Tina not knowing enough about sex-ed or "sin" to not get pregnant. Ironically, I believe religion actually contributed to causing Tina becoming a teen mom.

Regardless of the whole "sex is bad" preaching done in religion, most teenagers are going to experiment with sex; it's just human nature. I can, however, understand and accept that preaching. What I think is incredibly socially irresponsible, though, is teaching young people that practicing safe sex is a sin. I couldn't believe my ears when Tina says something like, "My pastor says using a condom is a sin because it shows you were planning to have sex." Do real churches actually teach that garbage in the age of HIV and AIDS?!

Tina says that using a condom is considered sinful, an abortion is sinful, and adoption is out of the question because her mother "will not have her children or grandchildren raised by total strangers." So, basically, because of one stupid mistake she made while not even old enough to drive, she has, in essence, immensely handicapped (if not ruined) her life. It's like sending a 14 year old to jail for life for shoplifting: kids do stupid things without thinking, they shouldn't be condemned for life for doing them.

To top it all off, I found myself chuckling at this family's so-called piousness: The parents are divorced and the siblings, instead of supporting and comforting their sister in her time of need, provide "How will I show my face around town?" taunts and insults.

So much for "The family that prays together, stays together."

"I am patient with stupidity but not with those who are proud of it." Edith Sitwell

[–] przgzr 14 years ago

using a condom is considered sinful, an abortion is sinful

These two things can hardly be compared. Using a condom is saving a life of a human being, abortion is killing a human being.

Unfortunately, many people can't recognize that. I wouldn't put religion on the top, let alone the only one to blame, because agnostics or atheists also make mistakes related to the subject.

However, one thing has to be admitted. Most of religions finally accepted that some of their "eternal truths" didn't pass science tests. So they are ready to say that those 7 days of creation have been a stylistic figure, and many things are now explained as "said or written according to culture and knowledge of people living in certain period of time". But the problem is that people are still changing, culture, tradition, life style, education etc can't be compared even to former generation, let alone the circumstances and people living thousands years ago. If so many things have been changed, one can't expect people to behave as those from first days of religions. This only makes people confused, frustrated, lost, and finally both doing mistakes and leaving religion.

[–] jenni_doll_1 14 years ago

Honestly, I believe religious zealotry has very little to do with it. In this case and others. I also do not believe lack of education is to blame either. The fact is, regardless of beliefs on religion or sex education, any type of education only works if the person learning takes it to heart and applies it. I believe the ultimate reason teen pregnancy is so common is the exaggerated sense of immortality teens have and a general lack of understanding for the potential consequences of actions. Kids just naturally believe they are invincible, that nothing bad can ever really happen to them. Reportedly, most teen pregnancies occur in teens who either want to get pregnant or just don't care if they get pregnant. Personally, I would love it if every young person, male or female, could get the opportunity to spend some time actually taking care of a real baby, and I don't mean for just a couple of hours, but for a good 24 or more, and see what's really involved in that. Sadly, it's not something that would likely be feasible for everyone, but if that chance presented itself for my teenager, I would gladly make them experience that.

[–] homefrontlolo 14 years ago

I don't believe "religion", or let's call it what it is-CHRISTIANITY-is the cause of teenage motherhood. Actually, this movie seems to zone in on the breakdown of the family, ultimately resulting in Tina's need for love and male attention.

Her parents are going through a divorce, which of course, is upsetting to Tina and her siblings. The movie shows each child dealing with the tragedy of their family breaking up in a different way. Rachel, the sister, eats junk food to cope with her feelings. The brother, Adam, is getting into trouble, and the mom even says he lost a volunteer job because of it. Tina gives it up to her first boyfriend and gets pregnant.

It seems like Tina is an undisciplined brat that's always been a problem, but the divorce and lack of her father's presence in her life has caused her to feel unloved. She can't get the love and attention she wants at home, so she goes outside, looking for it.

I think they were trying to show that you can have a "nice" family, live in Anytown, USA, go to church every Sunday, be active in sports, even sing in the church choir, and STILL get pregnant. I also think they were trying to show that Tina had many gifts, and had the potential to do great things, but her pregnant put everything on hold.

I believe it's easy to want to put the blame on something or someone when something so tragic as a child becoming pregnant happens. But we have free will. It's taking the easy way out to say a person got pregnant because of religion or this or that. Really, that person got pregnant because she chose to have unprotected sex! Tina chooses to do that, knowing what risks she may face.

My belief is that if you raise your child right and teach them how to behave from the beginning, they are going to turn out alright. Even if they stray for a period of time, they will come back to what they know and how they were raised.

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] cpoet 9 years ago

I absolutely agree with you, hunnybee. And to take it one step further, the people who insist that "condom = premeditated sex = sin" are exactly the same religious conservatives who believe sex education causes premarital sexual relations and it's more effective to just keep shouting "ABSTINENCE!" at hormone-crazed teenagers.

It's so crazy, when every study shows that MORE knowledge, MORE sex education is the way to knock down teen pregnancy rates.

*****

The most astonishing line for me was when Park Overall was talking to another woman about teenagers having sex and getting pregnant and the woman says, "That never used to happen."

Ha. I'm old enough to know why someone would think that sort of thing never used to happen--because any "unwed mother" simply disappeared from school one day. Maybe there were rumors, but there was a good chance you never saw her again.

If at all possible, her parents shipped her out of town to distant relatives or "a home" because it was just all so shameful. Couldn't have her walking around offending the local citizens or her church community. Or maybe she went to live way out in the country in some crappy shack with her boyfriend after a shotgun wedding and they both spent the rest of their lives scraping by with a grade school education.