The End of an Era


Growing up I recall many Sunday evenings spent as a family eating popcorn and drinking root beer floats as we watched The Wonderful World of Disney with our friends.

Back then, Walt was in charge.  

Walt was a devoted Congregational Christian who once said the following: "I believe firmly in the efficacy of religion, in its powerful influence on a person's whole life. It helps immeasurably to meet the storms and stress of life..."

And in an article Walt wrote in 1949 for the magazine Guideposts, he said, "I was grounded in old-fashioned religious observance.  My people ere zealous members of the Congregational Church in our home tow, Marceline, Missouri.  My father, Elias Disney, who was a contractor, built our local church and was a deacon of the congregation.  I was baptized there and attended Sunday School regularly."

Back when the parks first opened and Walt was in charge, alcohol was not served.  And, if you were someone who was vacationing at the parks but sought to attend a service on Sunday, there were spots inside the parks that offered them.  Disney employees had strict dress codes and "old-fashioned" moral values were a high priority.

But as Disney celebrates its 100th year, things have changed, and MONEY and popular culture seem to be the driver of the decisions that are being made.

The entertainment juggernaut which controls ABC and ESPN, Pixar, and Marvel, Lucas Film, 21st Century Fox, Hollywood Records, Steamboat Ventures, A&E Networks, and Vice Media now has a rather firm grip on the things we (and our children) see and experience on television, in movies, and over the radio.

Disney parks now celebrate Villains over Heroes with stores and merchandise that promote "the baddies".  Fairy Godmothers who invite children into their "Bibbity Bobbity Boutique" for a makeover now include transgender men dressed as women.  June is Gay Pride Month at the parks, and films, tv shows and cartoons now prominently feature intimate same-sex relationships.  And finally Disney recently gave the green light to a show titled "Pauline"  about a teenager who gets pregnant after a one-night stand with the Devil.

The Bible says this:

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.  It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs." - 1 Timothy 6:10

and, "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and money." - Matthew 6:24

Now the job of EVERY business owner should be to make money for the business and their shareholders.  However, when they do so by engaging in activities or promoting ideas and values that are clearly against those in the Bible - their love of money is their master.

I grew up as a "Disney kid".  I loved the movies and parks, and I even bought into their Vacation Club as one of the earliest members.  However, as I watch Disney's greed, and see their devolution as they make popular culture their guide for what "family values" looks like - I think it is time for me and the beloved company of my youth to part ways.

"Do not love the world or the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.: - 1 John 2:15





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