Susan Sarandon Out of the Broom Closet?
Conservative watchdog site NewsBusters, has posted an analysis of actress Susan Sarandon’s 9/11 appearance on ABC’s “The View”. Aside from the usual partisan complaints, NewsBusters blogger Tim Graham also takes note of Sarandon’s comments concerning Kathy Griffin’s controversial “Suck it, Jesus” Emmy speech.
Sarandon posing with tarot cards on the set of “King of the Gypsies”
“I just said my God has a big sense of humor. It’s much bigger than that. And I wonder if somebody had actually gone down and thanked Allah, what would have happened? I mean, a God other than the one that’s accepted for the most part in this country, a Wiccan? I don’t know. We’re very specific in our gods, but I really think She has a much bigger sense of humor.”
Now this doesn’t necessarily prove anything, plenty of feminists and liberal theologians tend to change up the gender pronouns when discussing “God”. But mentioning Wicca and then calling God “She” certainly sets off my Pagan radar (Pagdar?). Some years ago, when Beliefnet asked Sarandon directly what her spiritual path was, she certainly went out of her way to not give a direct answer.
“I try to live my life every day in the present, and try not to turn a blind eye to injustice and need. I wish I did more. I feel my family’s needs are a priority. I’m not comfortable with the idea of serving the many and ignoring my family. In the bigger picture, I see myself getting more and more involved as they leave the nest and don’t need the daily attention.”
Despite the speculation, and NewsBusters labeling her a “Goddess worshiper”, the jury on Sarandon’s religious affiliation remains out. We’ll just have to wait and see if she pulls a Cybill Shepherd and thanks the Goddess at an awards show.
2 responses so far
It doesn’t mean she’s a Wiccan or Pagan, though. Until someone claims a religion I don’t think we should make assumptions. I’ve been mistaken for a Pagan, just because I declare no religion and will defend them all (except for the extremist fundamentalist terrorist types). But I’m a free agent, spiritually speaking, and I sometimes say “She” and sometimes “He” — mainly because it matters not to me — though I tend to prefer “She.” But if there is one Universal Power that individual deities are just facets of (as in my personal, unnamed belief set), is It a he or a she? Does it matter? I think of the planet as She, because She’s the Great Mother of us all, at least physically speaking, and in that same pattern I could see the Sun as a He, but I usually just call the Sun the Sun. Really it’s all just dicing words and upper and lower case (and genders), isn’t it? Does one’s belief set have to have a name?
In any case, I like Susan Sarandon, because I see her as a person with enough fire in her to not put up with idiocy or abuse of power just to gain approval from anyone, and I am happy to see any celebrity, or anyone else for that matter, take a stand against the war. Thanks for posting this, because I hadn’t noticed a mention of her anywhere recently.
I just saw her on The Daily Show, and was fascinated by her choice in earrings. I couldn’t quite make it out, but it looked like a representation of an ancient feminine sculpture. Now that I read this blog post, I am more convinced it was at least a feminist representation and possibly a pagan one – likely Wiccan.
Coolness