“…for people trying to change their behavior or addictions, spirituality can provide something psychology can’t: a sense of meaning and forgiveness.”
What do Tiger Woods, Michael Vick, Mark Sanford and Thomas W. Noe have in common?
No, it’s not the opening line of the worst joke ever about a penchant for making headlines and trouble.
All four, in an effort to redeem their public image, have made statements to the press about their faith.
The philandering golfer, Woods, and the dog-torturing football player, Vick, invoked religion while apologizing for their wrongdoings. Sanford, the South Carolina governor exposed as having an extramarital affair, said he trusted God to change him.
Noe, the Ohio man convicted of stealing more than $13 million from a coin investment he managed for the state, says he’s innocent but is relying on God to make it through what could be an additional 16-plus years in prison.
The “I’ve found Jesus” narrative, or some variation thereof, is a script used often by shamed celebrities. They apologize, they see the light, and they hope we forgive them.
It’s a Lenten message, whether or not the atoning celebrity realizes it: Confess, repent and emerge a better version of yourself.
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