Girl Meets Belief

I first watched this as a teenager. Even then I could realize this episode rubbed me the wrong way. As an adult I rewatched this, it still was not good. It's very one-sided. It portrays Maya's lack of belief and Farkle's adherence to science as bad, or that if you aren't religious you must have a bad life like her, and you have no morality. Meanwhile, Riley and Lucas's vague beliefs in a god make them good people. Maya and Farkle need to be pushed to understand Riley and Lucas belief's, but Riley and Lucas are not challenged to understand Maya and Farkle's lack of beliefs. Along with very bad comparisons they act like are smart, such as "oh you can't see air, and air exists therefore god exists even though you can't see god." (even though there are actual ways we know air is there, as we can feel it and breathe it...) and also Maya is convinced to pray at the end even though she wasn't religious. I feel like there is a much better way to have gone about this. While the ending was okay in how they accept their beliefs, the middle was really bad. It's frustrating that both sides weren't equally challenged.

While Disney is typically predictable for its tween audience, I was pleasantly surprised and admired its attempt to tackle the difficult subject of spiritual faith. Although the plot could have been further developed, and many issues about faith were left unaddressed because of the episode is only 30 min, it gave a fair case for having faith. This is already distinct in that the general and popular media, from what I have experienced, more often lean towards criticizing faith or promoting no faith at all. The main characters include those who have spiritual faith and those who do not, and some continue to believe in God while others do not - thus, neither side is minimized by the episode.

A particular line, and a message of open-mindedness that I believe is worth spreading, is that friends should share why they do or do not believe, and should listen to each other and understand the others' perspective. Ultimately, one's faith or lack thereof is one's own choice. But, the possibility of neither being the "truth" should not be written off without sincere, respectful discussion.

While I absolutely adore girl meets world, and I like that they teach us to believe in friendship and possibility, this episode was very anti -atheists and agnostics. They are telling those of us that believe in a scientific world view that we are less, that we have less hope and less possibilities. But science is in itself a marvel. I believe that there isn't a higher power, so it's up to us to make this world better. I don't mind if they discuss Christian or multiple beliefs in a show, as long as they don't bully or target characters like Farkle or Maya for not believing. I love Sabrina Carpenter (Maya), but I don't know if I will be able to continue watching this show, which I have loved up till this point.

They talked all about religious freedom at the end of the episode and the right not to be persecuted. But spent the whole episode persecuting Maya and Farkle for not believing. Religious freedom doesn't just mean you can be a Hindu, or Muslim or Christian, it also means you have the freedom not to believe in a higher power, and believe in science and the self-determination of humans instead. I am disappointed that Disney would alienate and/or attempt to indoctrinate so many of their young viewers. I hope that the writers actually go on these discussion boards and see the responses. Also, the fact that Cory is teaching the students about religion in a public school is what is wrong with the American education system. The education system should study the historical and cultural impact of religion, as to exclude these would be to exclude a huge aspect of our history and society, but they should not try to convince students what to believe.

As always, I was expecting another important life lesson, another emotional chapter in the lives of these four friends (where the hell was Zay by the way?), and at first that's what it seemed like that was what it was setting up to be only for me to realize how god- friggin' wrong I was. I was surprised. And not in a good way. If felt exactly like I was watching a TBN special. This episode was nothing more than a pandering tool, a blurb of religious blah-blah, one-sided philosophies ad faulty science. At face value the episode might be trying to say things like "Listen to one another's differences" and "Just because you can see something doesn't mean its not there." The first one I agree with, but the second one... I cannot see air, but i can feel it, not in a spiritual sense, I can actually feel. Why? Because air is a friggin surface. You want to prove that gravity exists even though you can't see it, then go jump of a rooftop. There's your proof. Energy, though invisible to the human eye in some accounts, can become vision if viewed under the right circumstances. What I'm trying to say is, this episode was severely disappointing with its on the nose, in your face religious bias, and its deep dip in quality. I never thought i would feel this about a show, but I think I would like to watch it anymore. If the creative team wanted to be more inclusive, they should have gone about it in a better way than to pander to the already egotistical and overly-sensitive religious majority.